When the Forest Calls
by llmockingbirdll
Summary: Hermione is left to be raised by her grandma. She has no idea who her parents were. Her quest is to dust off the cobwebs of her past, to figure out why there is a shadow following her, and to find the root of the call of the forest.
1. Chapter 1 (Prologue)

**Outskirts of the Forbidden Forest: September 19th, 1979**

"Her name will be Shafiq. Lara Hermione Shafiq." A tall, young man – about 15 years old – growls, the dark of the night surrounding him. His eyes staring at a small box.

A small creature hobbles into the glowing light surrounding the tiny box. "Master Kendrew, are you sure you wants to name the child, to claims it as your own? With the Dark Lord rising, it would be dangerous to sends Masters child out with outs protection, even more, dangerous with Masters name." The poor creature wrung its hands, it's big eyes switching to a different object, never looking at one thing for more than a few seconds. "Youse father has already shown his disapproval of your actions, are you sure you wants your prodigy to live in fear of him as well?"

"She won't be unprotected Bople, you'll protect her." The Kendrew's eyes saddened, thinking of persons lost.

"Master! Bople can't leave Master, Master needs Bople!" As the little elf argued, the baby started to cry.

"Bople, I order you to care for my child, through better or worse. You won't let her know you are there. Her name, if it pleases you more, will be Lara Hermione Granger, and will be raised with her Coraline's family." The newborn's cry now rang through the dark night.

Kendrew looked down at the tiny baby, it weighed little more than 7 pounds, a sense of longing shone through as he looked at his child.

"Master, you want to raise the child, or be nears it, that much is true, if you long to be her father, why do you determine she would be better with outs you? Master can protect her. Bople knows the strength of a parent, Master is strong."

Kendrew stood up straight. "I can't protect her against The Dark Lord, he will find a way to hurt my family again. I can't let that happen, so she will be raised with Coraline's family and that is my final order!" His voice rang through the night, so loud and powerful, the wolves howled to the sound.

"Yes, Master Kendrew, youse order will be followed. She will be raised with Miss Coraline's family and I will protect her, hidden until Bople feels it's time. She will not know of you until Bople knows she be ready." Bople quickly snatched up the crying baby and disappeared with a crack.

A call echoed from the forest to the left, and Kendrew answered. He ran into the forest and joined his pack, ready to run rampant throughout the night.

Miles away, a baby boy giggles at the sight of his dad's 'pucker-face', not aware that soon, he himself would lose his parents as well.

* * *

 **Hogwarts Train Station: September 1st, 1991**

Hermione's heart misses a beat in excitement. This can't be happening, can it?

"Firs' years over here!" A gruff voice calls. No, this isn't happening.

She pinches her arm, immediately hissing at the pain. She rubs the sore spot the pinch caused on her arm, it's going to leave a bruise.

"I know, I can barely believe it either!" A boy with an Irish accent and red hair shouts, to the dark-skinned boy to his left, clearly in awe of what was before them. "We're at Hogwarts!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome readers! How's your day going? Not great? I'm sorry *gives big hug*. Great? Awesome *high fives*!**

 **For you Birdies that have waited so patiently for this chapter, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this, the muse shied away from this story for a little, but it's back now! Yes!**

* * *

 **Hogwarts Train Station: September 1st, 1991**

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!" A giant, no he's shorter than a giant, a giant of a man looms out of the foggy darkness that surrounds the train station. "All right there, Harry?" He calls to the boy who I met on the train on the train, also known as the boy-who-lived, Hermione has read about him in almost every book on "recent" battles and wars. Ron, his rude compartment buddy, gapped at the colossal figure, obviously not minding his manners.

"C'mon, follow me! Any more firs' years? Mind yer step now!"

We all followed the giant man down a steep, rocky path.

"Hey, Dean, where do you think we're going?" The same Irish boy from before asked.

"I'm pretty sure we're going down to the lake." Dean, the dark-skinned boy answered. "Seamus?" He added after a pause.

"Yeh?"

"Do you believe in Mermaids?" He asked quietly. "I heard there's a group of them living in the Black Lake, but nobody's seen them for over 30 years!"

"You shouldn't believe all the words you hear," Hermione cut in, "Just last year a girl was dragged under and drowned by one of the Mermaids, I read about in her brother's newly published book, 'A Glance at the Mystical Creatures.' Though they are a 'fantasy animal,' as Gran says, I wouldn't wish to meet one of their kind."

"And your Gran is muggle, correct?" Seamus asked, not commenting on her sudden enter on their conversation.

"Yes, every relative I know of on my Mom's side is a muggle." Dean, who had been aweing at the beautiful Black Lake, turned his head to look at Hermione.

"And your Dad's?" He asked.

"I never knew my parents, Gran says they both died soon after I was born. That's all I ever knew of them, she never says anything more." Hermione said, reciting what she had told almost every kid in grade school when the snobby dolts asked where her parents are, and why they never picked her up.

"Oh, sorry." He said awkwardly, leaning away from her subconsciously.

"Don't be, I never knew them, I have no reason to be sad, I was raised with the best Grandma I could ask for, and I wouldn't change a thing." Said Hermione.

"Oh, ok."

An awkward silence ensued.

"Well," Seamus began, "I'm half-and-half, me dad's a muggle, and me mum's a witch, he didn't know until she was pregnant with my sister, bit of a shock for him."

"I'm muggle-born, we thought I was muggle, because we didn't know of real magical creatures. That is, until I blew mom's daffodils halfway across the room, and then proceeded to float my father in the air. Then I got my Hogwarts acceptance letter, and then everything became clear."

"You lift your father into the air?" Seamus repeated, his eyebrows raised comically. "That's one strong baby."

Dean laughed cheerily at the joke, forgetting in an instance the awkwardness that had been extremely relevant moments before. Hermione even started to laugh a little, mostly at the exaggerated way Dean laugh, not afraid of anyone judging him for finding it extremely funny. Hermione rarely laughed, she had no reason to at the muggle school she had gone to before, the kids had disliked her, leaving her with multiple bullies. Her days there were not happy ones.

She couldn't help but wonder if here, at the magical school of Hogwarts, she'd be able to laugh as easily as Dean did, and have the confidence he obviously had.

"Yeh'll get yer first sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "Jus' round this bend!"

Ooh's and aw's echoed throughout the group at the magnificent sight of Hogwarts. "Hogwarts; A History failed to show you," Hermione thought, "no words could even begin to describe you."

"No more'n four to a boat! Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Seamus and Dean walked over to one boat closets to them, Hermione went to follow them into it, but a beautiful girl that looked of Indian heritage shoved her to the side. She was dragging her identical, more bashful-looking sister behind her into the boat with the two boys.

"Sorry." Blushing, she apologized for her twin. "She thinks the red-head is cute."

Hermione looked on as the sisters got into the boat she wanted to go into. Dean shot her a glance, looking as though he would've wanted her to be in the boat as well. Seamus looked freaked out at the forwardness the twin that had blocked Hermione was showing. If she hadn't been upset, she might've snorted at the shocked face the red-head was making.

"Well, I'm not going to be able to get into that boat." She thought, remembering she did need to find a boat to get into, not be upset about something simple like where she sat in a boat. Hermione turned to see Trevor, Neville's, the boy who lost his toad on the train's, toad. "What are you doing here?" She asked it's goggling eyes. She bent down and heard Neville's high pitch voice call out.

"Trevor!" He gleefully grabbed the toad from her hand hugging it close. "Thank you, Hermione, you found him!" They both made their way to the boat both Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were getting into.

Ron made a face when he saw that they were boarding the same boat as them, but he didn't comment. She guessed he hadn't liked them when they met on the train.

"Everyone in?" Shouted Hagrid, seated in a boat all by himself, taking all the space provided. "Right then – FORWARD!"

* * *

The first years squeezed together in the Great Hall, in awe of the gigantic room, the sky-imitating ceiling. They shuffled nervously, they were under the scrutiny of the entire school. In front of them, Professor McGonagall stood with a small, wooden stool to her left. Sitting atop of the rickety stool, an ancient hat. It was a tattered brown, and it looked as though it had been aged for _centuries._

Hermione racked her memory for any sort of notion of the name of the hat, but none came to mind. She'd read _three_ out of the _four_ extensive books on Hogwarts, and she could think of nothing that explained why that old hat was seated there. In the books, they skimped around the sorting ceremony, just referring to it and immediately moving on to a different subject. She figured it would be part of the sorting in some way, but she couldn't think of anything.

"What do you think the hats about?" Seamus wondered aloud. Hermione would've answered, but the hat itself started to speak before she could. A little rip opened up and out came its song;

 _"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_

 _But don't judge on what you see,_

 _I'll eat myself if you can find_

 _A smarter hat than me._

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_

 _Your top hats sleek and tall,_

 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

 _And I can cap them all._

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_

 _The Sorting Hat can't see,_

 _So try me on and I will tell you_

 _Where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_

 _Where dwell the brave at heart,_

 _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

 _Set Gryffindors apart;_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

 _Where they are just and loyal,_

 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

 _And unafraid of toil;_

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

 _if you've a ready mind,_

 _Where those of wit and learning,_

 _Will always find their kind;_

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_

 _You'll make your real friends,_

 _Those cunning folks use any means_

 _To achieve their ends._

 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

 _And don't get in a flap!_

 _You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

 _For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

People clapped and laughed when the Sorting Hat ended its song. Hermione got the reason for the hat now, it was going to choose which house they'd be in. The insides of her hands started to sweat. What if she didn't get picked, what if it was just a fluke that she got brought her here, what if they bring her back into the world of everyone thinking her weird, of people not listening to her? To the world of endless laughter, _at her?_ She shook off the feeling, she was clearly a witch, and they wouldn't invite her to Hogwarts unless they knew, and whatever house she was put in, would be the right one for her.

McGonagall coughed to get everyone's attention as the chatter in the Great Hall had picked up after the Sorting Hat's song. She held a long scroll in her hand, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A young, blond girl with pigtails came up to the stool, she looked so nervous. As soon as she sat Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head, it covered half of her tiny face, and immediately the hat shouted out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hufflepuff table, and a few others as well, cheered and clapped.

Hannah smiled shyly and walked quickly away from the stool to the Hufflepuff table.

One after another, timid, short first years came up to the stool had the hat placed on their head, and sent off to their house. Sometimes the hat barely even scraped their head, and they were off, like "Cornfoot, Stephen." Who sat down and the hat just touched his red hair and the hat instantly shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!" But when "Davis, Tracey." came up to the stool, the hat was on her head for a good 30 seconds before she was put in Slytherin, Tracey had left the stool with a look of relief on her face.

Hermione paid close attention to all the people going up, she wanted to learn every one of their names, and where they went.

When "Finch-Fletchley, Justin." went up, Seamus looked at Hermione and Dean, "Alrighty guys, I don't know where I will end up, although I reckon I'll be in Gryffindor, like me mum. But I want to say, if we don't go to the same house, I still want to get to know you."

In the background, Justin was sorted into Hufflepuff.

Hermione was flattered, she made a mental note, underlining the one she already had, to be friends with Seamus, she'd known him for – what – two hours and he'd already declared he wanted to be friends with her and Dean. She smiled and nodded, too nervous to answer.

"Yeah man," Dean said, "even if we get Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, I want to get to know you two."

"Finnegan, Seamus." Seamus smiled excitedly and headed towards the stool, Dean clapped him on the back and Hermione whispered good-luck.

"To being in the same house." Dean whispered, lifting his fist for a fist bump as Seamus sat down on the stool.

"To being in the same house." Hermione agreed, punching his fist.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor practically roared at the newest addition to their house, making their animal namesake proud. The clapping was deafening. Hermione and Dean cheered along, but inside, Hermione was going crazy. If her assumption on the names was right, she'd be the next one called up.

"Granger, Hermione!" She giggled quietly at the way Dean cheered when she was called, even though nobody else did. All of her fears from before returned, but worse. What if they send her away? This was the best thing that had ever happened to Hermione, what if they tell her she has to leave, and she can't come back.

"Deep breaths Granger." She consoled herself. "They won't turn you away, and you'll have the best friends in the world here, they won't care about your problems, and besides, those are probably normal here. You will be fine." She walked up to the stool, tripping slightly on her robes as she walked up to the hat, earning her a snicker from behind. She blushed red, but she kept walking. Her thumbs rubbed circles on the inside of her hands, a way to calm herself and keep her "problem" from rearing its head.

She sat on the stool, breathing in, and readied herself for the sorting. "It's going to be simple, the hat's going to come onto my head and then it'll shout out the house you're going to be in for the next seven years." That didn't help. But it was too late to calm herself again, for the hat was coming down on her head.

Plop! Hermione's head disappeared from sight to everyone in the audience.

* * *

 **Ackk, I'm so nervous/excited to see your reactions of this chapter! Please leave a review, as they help me write faster and keep me motivated. Done talking for today, time for breakfast (pancakes on a Thursday!). See you later Jelly Beans!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Great Hall, Sorting Ceremony: September 1** **st** **, 1991**

Instantly Hermione could feel something sifting through her brain, picking out different memories and then placing them back where they had been.

 _Hmm._ A voice inside whispered. _Interesting…_

When Hermione went to ask him what the hat meant, why was she interesting, the cap interrupted with a yell loud enough to wake the dead.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The roar of clapping coming from her house's table made her smile, this is where she is going to be, with these people. These wonderful, loud people. The raucous clapping hurt her ears, but it was really loud, so she dismissed any worries. She forgot her worries for the moment and skipped over to the Gryffindor table where Seamus was jumping up and down in his excitement.

"We're in the same house, we're in the same house!" He went into a hug, squeezing her tight, before going back to jumping up and down. The hug left Hermione confused, but she didn't let it show. Her grandma barely expressed anything that remotely relates to love for her, how could this person, that she just met, be fine _hugging_ her, something she considered to be left only for the best of friends and lovers.

Dean glanced nervously at them, he still had to wait to be sorted. He really hoped that they would be in the same house. He figured it would be hard to remain friends or become close if he was in a different house.

He didn't think that he would be sorted into Slytherin, they were the house of purity, and his blood wasn't pure, in their opinions. From what he'd heard, the prejudice between muggleborns and purebloods was a strong one, so definitely not Slytherin.

Hufflepuff did seem like a possibility, as well as Ravenclaw, he didn't look for knowledge enough to be in Ravenclaw, in his opinion; but, if he was honest, those two were immediately crossed off when both Seamus and Hermione were sorted into Gryffindor.

He really hoped they, at least, stayed friends.

Hermione gave him a thumb up, "You'll be fine!" she mouthed. He smiled back at her, still nervous, but knowing he'll have his new friends behind him, no matter where he goes.

"Hopkins, Wayne." Hermione hopped up and down to get a good look at the kid's face before it disappeared underneath the hat. She felt bad for him, he looked like he was about to cry from the stress. She knew that he didn't believe he could stay in Hogwarts, that he didn't qualify as a wizard. But she knew better, he would stay, she would make sure of it herself if she had to.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" She joined in with the not-as-thunderous clapping from the Hufflepuff table. He noticed her jumping as high as she could and waved. His smile still seemed nervous. She'd have to find him later and congratulate him, he'd already made it farther than he'd thought he would!

She sat back down at the Gryffindor table, suddenly aware of how she was the only one standing. Her blush must've been pretty red from the snort she got from Seamus.

"Longbottom, Neville!" The shaky boy who had lost his toad on the train stumbled on his way to the stool. Someone whispered behind Hermione.

"What do ya think Fred, Hufflepuff?"

"Georgie, are you being look based? How horrible of you!" Another whispered back.

"Why, I thought you knew me, you being my twin and all!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" Cheering started and Neville made his way to the table, looking thoroughly confused. Hermione looked back to see who had been guessing where he would go, making sure to seem like she was just surveying the hall.

The two redheads that had saved her on the train were chatting amicably behind her. They were going into their third years, which meant they were thirteen years old, two years older than her. They both weren't as gangly as their younger brother, and, honestly, she didn't know how these two could look so different from their own sibling. The snobby, rude, Ron Weasley was their youngest brother. She definitely preferred the twins out of the three siblings; that she knew of, anyway. She had heard them talk about older brother _s_ on the train, _how many kids are in that family?_

Gran didn't think people should have more than one kid, two at the most.

They both noticed her glance at them, and one winked extravagantly. "Why! Hello Little Cub." The other remarked and elbowed the other. "She is truly a _little_ cub now, isn't she Georgie?" He patted Hermione on the head talking like she was a little babe.

"WHY, she _is_. Aren't you a little Gryffindor cub?" They both laughed when she rolled her eyes at the antics.

She turned back to watch the sorting. After "Macmillan, Ernest," who was sorted into Hufflepuff, came the pureblood boy that already disliked her for her family.

* * *

 **This one is a shorter chapter, but the next is almost finished and ready to be posted! Hope y'all enjoyed this one.**

 **Mockingbird**


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